I really like Robert Harris’s novels (Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel)—for one thing, while they’re all thrillers, they’re all cut from different cloth. One is an alternate history of the Nazis winning World War II, one is a spy thriller set during World War II, and one is set in present-day Russia. As with the best thrillers, I always come away from Harris’s novels feeling as though I’ve learned something, even if he’s made up the whole damn thing.
He continues his streak as far as I’m concerned with Pompeii, a thriller that begins two days before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It follows the travails of the water engineer or aquarius, Marcus Attilius, who’s dispatched to the Aqua Augusta aqueduct following the disappearance of the previous aquarius. The aqueduct suddenly dries up, and Attilius has to find out why, despite being hampered by the fact that no one wants his interference in what’s going on in the region.
Now, like with Titanic, we know what’s going to happen. We know why the water is fouled with sulfur, we know why the earth keeps shaking, we know that the great city of Pompeii is going to buy it. Harris still manages to weave a few mysteries in there to keep you reading—why is Attilius’s arrival in the region such a threat? and why did the previous aquarius disappear? He also manages to give you just enough information about aqueducts, volcanoes, and Roman life at the time to make you confident of rattling on at the next cocktail party.
Downsides: The writing isn’t great, though it’s better than many of his contemporaries—Dan Brown, I’m looking at you—and things like the romantic angle are mercifully dealt with in a shallow, quick manner. Attilius does show rather unbelievable fortitude, even in the midst of a natural disaster. The guy’s a regular Timex watch*.
But if you’re looking for a good yarn, I recommend this book.
*If I have to explain this reference, I’ll…cry.
I read the bit about the Timex watch (keeps on ticking!) and turned to Todd and said, “You know, for the first time I can kind of understand why people move into retirement homes. It must be comforting to have people around you who understand your references and your generation without a bunch of explanation. Especially at a time in your life when the number of people who do is getting smaller by the day.”